the roadside inn at riverdell sprawls its white length along the old post-road over which many years ago the coaches swayed and rattled between new york and boston. the roadside, known in those days as peppit’s tavern, has changed but little. the front room over the porch, has held notable guests: washington, hancock, adams, lafayette and many more. on the tap-room windows you may still find the diamond-etched initials of by-gone celebrities. and much of the old-time atmosphere remains.
roadside inn
the room into which ethan had his[26] bag taken after his return from his adventure in arcady was low-ceilinged and dim. the two small windows, one overlooking the dilapidated orchard at the rear and the little river beyond, the other revealing the murmuring depths of a big elm, afforded little light. the floor was delightfully uneven; ethan went downhill to the washstand and uphill again to the old mahogany bureau. the wide fire-place held a pair of antique andirons coveted by many a visitor, and the narrow shelf above was adorned with an equally desirable brass candlestick and a couple of opaque white glass vases which, ancient as they were, post-dated the shelf itself by half a hundred years. the bedstead, of mahogany, with rolling footboard, had made concessions to modernity. the pegs along the side, from which ropes[27] had once been stretched, remained, but an up-to-date wire spring and hair mattress had superseded the olden furnishings.
brass candlestick
ethan lighted a cigarette, unstrapped his bag and took out a leathern portfolio. with this on his knee, he sat at one of the open windows and scrawled a note.
big blue touring car
“dear vin, i am sending my man farrell on to you with the machine with orders to place it at your disposal. make what use you can of it. i think it is all right now, though it went back on us this morning about two miles north of here. funny place for it to bust, wasn’t it; looks as though it meant me to pay a visit here, eh? well, i’m humoring it. i’ve decided to stay here for a day or two at the roadside. i want to brush up a bit on mythology. very interesting subject, mythology, vin. just when i’ll follow the machine i can’t say yet; possibly in a day or two. make my excuses to your mother and sisters; invent any old story you like. you might say, for instance, that vertumnus, fickle god, has transferred his affections[28] from pomona to a water-nymph. but you needn’t if you’d rather not. i don’t care what you say. expect me when you see me.
“yours,
“ethan.”
with a smile as he thought of his friend’s perplexity on reading the note, ethan folded it and tucked it into an envelope. then addressing it to “mr. vincent graves, the boulders, stillhaven, mass.,” he sealed it, dropped it into his pocket and made his way downstairs to dinner.
after dinner a big blue touring-car chugged its way southward along the shaded road, with farrell at the wheel and ethan’s note in farrell’s pocket. ethan watched it disappear. then, drawing a chair to the edge of the porch, he set himself in it, put his heels on the railing, stuffed his hands into his pockets and asked himself with a puzzled smile why he had done it.
